


Ocean Heart

by Moonalight



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Siren!Nico, Worried Will
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:08:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27264754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonalight/pseuds/Moonalight
Summary: Nico thinks everything is over now that Gaea has been defeated. Everyone can finally relax and settle into their lives again.So why is his life changing all over again?Why is Poseidon showing up, hinting at a heritage from his mother that he needs to learn about? What is his father hiding from him? And why is the ocean trying to call him home when he's a child of the Underworld?
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	1. Shadow Waves

******  
Mythology was a mixing pot of tales. Some claimed one thing, some claimed another. Some had completely original stories, while some took the stories from another to alter to their image. Take sirens for example. In Greek mythology, sirens were half bird and not half fish. 

Nowadays, the name ‘siren’ is interchangeable with ‘mermaid’ for most people. Mortals imagine not chicken women, but beautiful seductresses of the ocean. Mermaids were also a part of Greek mythology, though more shrouded and mysterious than the siren. Fact was intermittent with falsities. The fact remains that they became popular as folks romanticised them...

One place that is known for its tales of people under the sea is Sorrento, Italy.  
******  
The giant war had ended a month before. Nico had been staying at camp for a month. That, in and of itself, seemed like it should’ve been a lie. Just a few months prior he would’ve done anything to avoid such a situation. 

But thanks to a certain blonde infirmary head, he’d been forced to stay for a couple days. Then those couple days turned into a week. Which turned into two weeks, which turned into three, and before he even had much time to think about it a month had passed. 

They’d all been far too busy to really realize it. The war had left the camp a mess, not even including everything with the Romans. Day in and day out work was being done. Buildings being repaired, expanded, completely new ones being added thanks to Jason’s ambitious idea to bring even more immortals into the camp’s arms...

The point was, everyone had a job that kept them busier than bees. 

Nico’s job had turned out to be several other jobs. In the beginning he’d been in charge of making sure the dead were given the proper respect. Then it was helping negotiate with the Camp Jupiter considering his previous connections to them. Then it was helping out wherever he could. 

His doctor had forbade him from using his powers since the final battle. He was completely under lockdown. Nico couldn’t even summon a single bone without being strapped to an infirmary bed for hours to ensure he learned his lesson while under the eyes of watchful healers. 

So he’d become very, very bored. And with Will overseeing the infirmary expansion and everyone else working on specific jobs, there wasn’t really anyone for him to interact with. Staying out of the way by binging tv shows hadn’t helped. Neither had training. 

There was a limit to the number of times you could hit a dummy with a sword and pretend you were keeping busy. 

Which was how he wound up in an encounter that changed his life.  
******  
It was another night of, ‘trying to forget how hard it is to close his eyes and get some sleep by watching a million episodes of something until he passes out from exhaustion’. Not the healthiest method, but Nico refused to take medication for his night terrors. Demigods had nightmares. It was normal.

So what if they hadn’t all been through the horrors he had?

And his unhealthy method wasn’t working all that well. He’d switched between six shows, taken two showers, and had passed out in five minute intervals three times. Still his precious sleep eluded him.

Finally he’d had enough. Barefoot in only soft pants and a tee shirt, Nico left his cabin. It was still dark out. The bright, glowing silver moon was high in the black sky. Lighting his way as he absent mindedly started to head for somewhere peaceful. 

The harpies flew overhead as he walked but not one dared to sound the alarm. They were wise creatures for the most part, and knew better than to bother a son of Hades. Especially when he was in such a terrible mood. 

Dark shadows seemed to stretch towards him while he walked. They whispered to him, trying to persuade him to let them in. Ever since nearly dissipating into nothing though, Nico had been weary with the shadows. They mourned his loss. Every breath was an attempt to convince him to take them back. 

He pushed onward. His feet were chilled by the dewy grass, following the path of moonlight faithfully as he avoided shade. It took him a bit to realize where he was heading. Only once the ground below him changed from wet green to soft sand did he understand. 

The beach was quiet at this time of night. Without strong winds the water was practically still. Small, white, rolling waves pushed up onto the sand with hardly a whoosh before disappearing back to where they belonged. The soft roll of the water overtook the darkness of Nico’s mind, forcing him to recognize and take count of where he’d found himself. 

This wasn’t the first time either. Several times over the last week, as his unhealthy methods began to fail more often, he’d find himself standing with his toes buried in the sand. His eyes would spend ages simply watching the water, his body standing until it grew stiff. Then he would wander back to his cabin as he began to grow tired and he would fall asleep, certain that it would only be a matter of time after he awoke for the cycle to repeat. 

Nico sighed, long and drawn out into the night air. He closed his eyes to relish in the crisp breeze, breathing deeply. It was the same as always. 

“Oh uno dal cuore spezzato...”

A quiet, nearly inaudible voice had him tipping his head and opening his eyes. He looked up and down the beach in confusion only to find himself alone. His mind had automatically translated the faint words to English, but he hadn’t missed that they were spoken in Italian.

Or, to be more accurate, sang. The voice had been melodical. Drawing out certain syllables like one would while singing. But as far as he knew, no one at the camp spoke Italian. 

“La tua anima si è stancata, ti sei rivolto alle maree increspate per inghiottire le tue lacrime solitarie?”

The voice seemed to grow in volume as he focused on it. Nico tilted his head curiously, intrigued by the lyrics of what was now clearly a song. It was coming from seemingly nowhere. He was still alone on the beach. 

“Possano le onde abbracciarti,” he wasn’t even aware when he began to move. His body glided over the sand, eyes scanning not the horizon but the ground. He was looking for something; his body feeling lighter as the waves and song became all he could hear. 

“Cullarti dolcemente per dormire. Allontana tutto il dolore e il dolore che ti sei portato dietro negli anni.”

His steps began to slow. Nico distantly acknowledged the fact that he’d traveled the length of the beach, running without even realizing it. But most of him was stuck thinking about something else. About the small rocky cove near the end of the sand. 

He couldn’t tear himself from it; his body approaching without his direction to begin hopping over water pools in search of something. The song was coming to a close, the light feeling fading, and he hadn’t found whatever he was looking for yet. 

“Ma se ne avessi la possibilità, dimenticheresti il passato? Tu ed io possiamo ricominciare tutto da capo. Possiamo amare di nuovo mia cara.” 

Nico felt his lips turn up into a smile as the voice trailed off for the end of the lyrics. It turned to something else. Vocals that seemed to echo off everything around him when he found himself staring down at something on the smooth stone below him. 

It was a small shell. One of those pale orange spiral shells that people didn’t find easily at most beaches. The innocent thing sat nestled in a small cleft in the rock, held in place so that most waves wouldn’t dislodge it. 

He reached down to pick it up. The smooth casing felt right under his fingers, his breath catching as he turned it over. In his ears he could now hear the ocean. Not the ocean beside him, rolling soft waves. 

Nico could hear water. Hard and striking. A sea under storm, contained in such a small object that he could hold. The crashing of magnificent waves that suddenly shifted to the muffled sounds of submerging beneath the surface. He tilted his head, captured by the strange situation. 

Just as he started to raise the shell, bringing it close to his ear to hear better, a new voice interrupted him. 

“Do you hear it, Son of Hades?” 

The shell dropped, slipping from his fingers as he twisted in surprise to face the man suddenly behind him. It clattered over the stone briefly before bouncing into the cove’s waters. Such a beautiful thing, gone from his reach in only a second. 

He wanted to follow its disappearance. Turn away from his surprise visitor and dive in to retrieve the sinking shell. But Nico held back, keeping sharp eyes on the dark haired man. The painfully bright hawaiian shirt was a big clue to who he was. The dark hair and stormy eyes cinched it. 

Only by a small fraction did he relax, bowing respectfully to the king of the sea. “Lord Poseidon,” Nico addressed him dutifully, “I didn’t notice you. My apologies.”

The child of the underworld knew well how to interact with immortals. Being the ambassador to several groups meant he had to, or risk being smited for the slightest insult. Whether he recognized them as such or not. 

“It’s perfectly fine,” the god of the sea waved off his apology casually, looking him over with appraising eyes, “So do you?”

Nico straightened from his bow, frowning as he remembered the question that had startled him. His eyes naturally moved towards the pool after the shell. Said shell was already gone from his sight though, resting deeply beneath the dark water. 

“I heard the ocean,” he agreed quietly, nodding jerkily, “the waves of a storm.”

Poseidon smiled at his answer. All at once the man seemed friendly, and also sadder. There was a tinge in his eyes that belied his open expression. It was dark and worrisome, looking him over even more carefully at that. 

“And has your father told you why yet?”

He tensed at that, the feeling of something lurking growing stronger. Despite it, he knew that ignoring the question was not an option when speaking with an ancient immortal being. 

“My father never talks about the ocean,” Nico told him. His answer seemed to only make the sadness grow. Poseidon seemed to debate with himself about something, tilting his head to the side in thought. Then he was suddenly plopping down onto the rocks with a long sigh. 

“Of course he doesn’t,” he huffed, crossing his arms, “It’s too painful, he would say if you ask. The truth is actually that he doesn’t want to admit the truth.” A hand was gestured to the boy, motioning for him to sit with the god. He obeyed without complaint, drawn in by his immortal uncle’s line of conversation. 

“But there isn’t much time left,” Poseidon continued, “you’re almost fifteen, and you need to make your decision soon.” 

“What decision?” Nico asked, leaning forward subconsciously as he grew more curious and confused. 

“Whether or not you will embrace your mother’s heritage and the ocean,” the sea god told him. His tone sharpened, becoming dangerously warning in tone as he finished the sentence. An air of power surrounded him, sea breeze wafting off of him as he judged the child of the underworld. 

Judged. 

Like he was some display to be critiqued. But he didn’t dare argue. His head ducked in deference to the powerful being, waiting for permission. When he finally felt the power draw back and the atmosphere became inviting finally, the question on his mind was voiced, “My mother? What heritage? And why the ocean?” 

The dark haired man laughed, nodding in praise as he grew kinder again, “You’re curious. That’s good. Curiosity is healthy!” Poseidon then frowned as he went on, “I bet your father hates it. How much has he told you about your mother?”

Nico winced at that, shrugging off the question to answer honestly, “Not much. He doesn’t like talking about her.” 

His uncle grew silent at that. A contemplative look overcame him again as he thought about something. Then he smiled. That smile grew, wider and wider until it looked like he was about to double over in joyous laughter. The same look Percy got when he was planning mischief. 

“I may have promised I wouldn't say anything,” he hummed jubilly, “but I never said a word against providing a bit of help, now did I?”

The rhetorical question was punctuated by a snap of his fingers. Nico looked around them, but nothing seemed to have changed. When he looked back the god was rising to his feet. 

“Um, Uncle?” The familiar address slipped out without him thinking, but it only seemed to make the sea god happier as he watched Nico stand as well. “Sorry, but what was this about?”

“You’ll find some new reading material in your cabin when you get back,” Poseidon told him conversationally, summoning a white surfboard for him to lean on with only a simple flourish of his hand, “read it all. The studies I’ve given you are important, and true. In one months time I will return here. Meet me, and we will discuss your mother. Along with any questions you may have.”

Any mention of his family always threw Nico off. He frowned, off balanced and too confused to really comprehend the god of the sea turning to jog off with his surfboard underarm. For a second he just stared, then he started to head after him. Instead of jogging down the beach though, he turned to head back toward the cabins. 

It didn’t take long for him to return to the Hades cabin. Probably because he didn’t bother to avoid the shadows this time. Thinking back on the whole encounter had left him frenzied, lost in thought and eager to discover just what this had to do with his mother. 

Hades tried to be a good father, oh did he try. But the topic of his mother was one that he always denied Nico. It was his greatest source of frustration, and any chance for learning more about her was one he would take. Whatever his uncle had decided to make him study, he would and he would excel. Anything to know more about where he came from. 

Granted, he wasn’t expecting the pile of several ancient books on his bed. Just a cursory glance revealed they were written in a multitude of languages and bound differently, each and every one. Like a gathering of cultures from the literary world. 

But on one of the smaller books, stark black italian writing stared up at him, sewn with care into the cover. 

‘The Sirens of Myth.’

Just what was the sea god trying to teach him?


	2. Cabin Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He grabbed the handle on the door, and twisted. A worried face was waiting for him on the other side. With shaggy blonde hair and sky blue eyes.

******  
Nico knew it wouldn’t be long until someone came looking for him. Someone always did when it was realized that he’d missed a meal. Like clockwork, every single time. And he’d already missed breakfast that morning. 

In the end, sleep had evaded him. His original goal had been completely forgotten after the encounter with Poseidon. He’d found himself stuck on the gifts from his uncle. Entirely taken in by the life of each book, even if he only knew one of the languages. 

He didn’t have to be able to read the others to be fascinated. Pictures and diagrams; ages old. They painted enough of a picture for some parts that he could figure out what was being said without really knowing. 

But of course, the son of Hades found himself glued to the Italian piece of writing for far longer. Just like the others it was many years old. A couple even seemed to be from more ancient times, before the Greeks in some cases maybe. And what they actually were documenting wasn’t that hard to figure out. 

Whatever the texts looked like on the outside, inside they were all hand written. Splotchy ink for the most part. Charcoal, led, even paints. Anything one could get their hands on to write with. 

And they all seemed to be journals. The journals of sirens.

Nico may have overdone it a bit in the research. His eyes were burning from looking at pages all night. His limbs were stiff from sitting cross legged on his bed for hours without moving much. The old texts were scattered around him over the blankets. His own writing supplies were also scattered amongst them. 

Scribbled notes overtook the lined pages he had. Anything of interest, questions, theories. He’d nearly appear to be a child of Athena, not Hades, if anyone saw him now. Nearly, since he was not quite so analytical and uniform. 

A scratch here, a bookmark there. None of the books were overly lengthy. Many of them seemed to be missing pages that had been torn out or damaged to time. It was such a waste, but he was still learning so much. 

He was interrupted while writing down another note by the soft rapping of a knuckle against the cabin door. Nico looked up in surprise, sending a few of the papers on his lap flittering to join the mess around him. He winced as he took it all in, shaking head and rubbing at his burning eyes tiredly. 

“Nico?” His body relaxed slightly at the warm voice coming from the other side of the door. It made him sigh, brushing aside his work to clear a path off of the bed. “Are you okay? You missed breakfast.” 

A few of the pages decided to follow him from the bed. They fluttered to the floor slowly, and it occurred to Nico that maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea to let someone see this. But then he remembered that his visitor wouldn’t be able to read the languages anyway. 

He grabbed the handle on the door, and twisted. A worried face was waiting for him on the other side. With shaggy blonde hair and sky blue eyes. 

“Hey, Will.” Nico’s mouth stretched without permission, forming a wide ‘o’ as he yawned, “Sorry. I was hoping to just grab something from the kitchen later.”

The bright son of Apollo looked him up and down. His eyes lingered around Nico’s own, reminding him that he probably had pretty bad bags right about now. When he’d first met the blonde ray of sunshine, he’d called the look that was currently in his eyes ‘judging’. Now he simply knew it to be ‘concern’. True, and honest concern. 

“Did you sleep last night?” Will tried to glance into the cabin around Nico, but the child of the Underworld kept himself firmly in place. He yawned again just to give his doctor more ammunition. 

“I got some sleep,” he admitted, shuffling uncomfortably as he remembered why he’d been having such a rotten night. The son of Apollo wouldn’t have his half answers though. He’d become the leading expert on ‘what does Nico really mean?’ That meant he annoyingly could tell something wasn’t right. 

“Nightmares?” Will asked him this softly, mindful of the other campers scattered about outside. His face turned down in a frown and he seemed troubled by the idea. No doubt he was still upset Nico refused to take any medication for his insomnia problem. 

“Yeah,” Nico took the out offered to him, ducking his head in a sign that he didn’t want to talk about it, “Yeah I...Hey, don’t you have an expansion to help finish?”

The blonde would never miss such an obvious deflect, but he accepted it. The son of Hades was done talking and he knew it. They’d established a line around the second week of his stay at camp. Will knew when to stop and when to press. This was a time to stop. 

“I do,” his doctor agreed, “but first I needed to make sure you were taking care of yourself.”

“And here I was beginning to think that taking care of me was your job,” Nico poked, rolling his eyes to show he was just playing. The barb wasn’t meant to bite. It was just a bit of innocent ribbing. Innocent ribbing Will turned right back on him. 

“Just ask and I’d be happy to,” the dangerous sunflower promised, turning in as smooth a motion as that line was to begin walking away, “Don’t forget to eat, Nico!”

“I won’t,” he promised, shutting the door behind him. Nico turned back to his research den, taking a breath in preparation for the long nights he had ahead of him, “...probably.”


	3. Doctor, Doctor, Spare Me Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You didn’t go to the kitchen.”

******  
Will really did wind up taking up that job. Sometime around lunch, with a new pile of notes building around him, Nico heard another knock at the door. It took a second for his exhausted mind to figure out why he had a guest, but when he did he started to fear for his life. 

“Nico?” The son of Apollo standing outside sounded calm, but Nico had learned that the children of the son god could act better than most. Once or twice he’d already found himself on the wrong side of that. The calmness was merely a deception. He knew the moment he opened that door, his life was forfeit. 

“Will?” There was no out this time. He pushed back the nervousness as he called out in return, crawling from the bed and pushing aside papers. 

“You didn’t go to the kitchen.” 

Oh. There it was. Will’s voice dripped like honey, but it was a dangerous tone. Behind the sweetness was cold fury. Nico was honestly done for. He wiped his palms against his pants, trying to get rid of that tightness in his chest as he reached for the door. 

It didn’t go away. It only grew when he caught sight of the smiling blonde beyond. A dark smile that was far too sharp. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest, eyes narrowed in a way that mismatched with his grin. 

“I forgot,” the truth fell from him, his body tensing up under threat. Nico’s hand reflexively moved to his side, grasping for a sword that wasn’t there. Will kept standing there smiling. He had a prompting posture, his eyebrow raising in real judgement this time. 

“We can get something now?” The offer was a desperate one. Other campers were already heading towards the pavilion, and the sun was high in the sky. No doubt the doctor had waited until the last minute to confront him. 

At his suggestion, Will tipped his head in thought. He never stopped smiling eerily. Some might call Nico creepy, but have you ever seen someone who knows how to make you shrink with just one simple action? That was what the son of Apollo could do. 

“That sounds like a great idea,” he agreed cheerfully at last, offering his hand pointedly. 

They’d really developed a system. Pretty quickly after the battle, Will had realized Nico didn’t like being touched without permission. He was always good about advertising his actions. Making certain the son of Hades knew what he was going to do before he did it. And more often that not, he made Nico consent to the contact by acting first. 

He obediently took Will’s hand, shutting the cabin door behind him. The reward was a much more genuine smile as his doctor began to pull him towards the pavilion like everyone else. 

Nico’s feet brushed over soft grass, and he was suddenly reminded of his appearance. It had him planting himself in place, tugging at the blonde to stop him. 

“I need to change.”

He was still in his pajamas. Soft sleeping pants and a tee shirt. Bare footed with messy hair. He was an absolute mess, and his self consciousness made the sunflower smirk. 

“Oh? I think you look just fine,” Will’s smirk grew punishingly, “like a little onyx teddy bear.” 

Nico squeaked in embarrassment, trying to rip his hand from the other’s grasp. Will was much stronger than he looked though. He was stuck, and this was clearly the price he had to pay for forgetting to eat. 

“I’m really sorry Will,” he pleaded under his breath, looking around them to see if anyone had noticed him yet. Most of the campers were already at the pavilion though, so he was in the clear. If he went up there to eat like this...

“Just, please?” His eyes grew wider, looking up at the blonde with purposeful cuteness. He was always being told by Percy and Jason that when he used puppy dog eyes he could get anything. Will had great resistance to it, but sometimes he’d be lenient. 

For a moment the son of Apollo just stared him down. Then, very slowly, he took in a deep breath and sighed loudly. The hand around Nico’s released him, and he was quick to turn right back around to run to his cabin again. 

Will followed closely behind, stopping at the door as he ducked inside. His words were clear as Nico started to get dressed properly, leaving the son of Hades glad he had someone that cared so much. Even if he wouldn’t admit it. 

“You won’t get out of eating, di Angelo,” the healer called through to him, “If I have to force feed you, I will.”

His eyes were dragged once more to the pile on his bed. He had a lot to get through, a lot of questions. But there was still a month. Rushing, and hurting his health wouldn’t help anything. 

Sirens were the key he was looking for. Sometimes, keys take a while to create.


	4. Dine'n Pass Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They would be planning an intervention soon. Nico had to act first.

******  
Though the journals weren’t that long and most of them were missing large chunks, Nico had learned a lot. There was a lot of information packed into personal entries; little notes that he pieced together to understand. 

Will had continued to hover over the first few days. The blonde doctor was always nearby, and even more watchful of his eating and sleeping schedules. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner he had an escort. When it was time for lights out, he was punctually there to check on him just before. Sometimes he would deliver a sleeping drought even though he knew Nico wouldn’t use it. 

All those droughts, potions, and medicines for his sleeping troubles were beginning to pile up too. There was a specific shelf for them in the bathroom because he couldn’t just throw away valuable supplies like that. Will had seen them the few times he’d been in the Hades Cabin yet he kept bringing more. 

Little snacks also became a normalcy. They appeared where Nico might find them, accompanied by little notes from some of his overseers. Percy and Annabeth usually delivered blue cookies, Jason and Piper gave him apples with caramel, Leo sent him pomegranate-cherry cupcakes, and Will sent him whatever he happened to have on hand from the infirmary snack break.

It was great to know they all were thinking about him, but as the end of his first week with those journals came, he knew that it would cause problems soon enough. None of them had missed him being locked away in his cabin for seven days straight. He only came out for food now. He didn’t even leave to train, or to visit the infirmary with extra snacks like he’d been before. 

Each note was becoming more and more heartfelt; multiple sets of snacks appearing at the same time. Far more than he could eat. Which had resulted in him having to start stocking up the spares. Now he had sleeping drugs, and food in spectacular supply. 

They would be planning an intervention soon. Nico had to act first.   
******  
For the first time in what seemed like forever, Nico actually headed to breakfast without Will’s prompting. He made sure to leave his cabin at just about the same time as the Apollo kids so the worrisome doctor would see him walking to the pavilion. 

There was a bit of confusion to him showing up alone. It was slightly offending that all of the campers seemed to think he and Will were some sort of collectible pair. That where one was, you could find the other. 

Said son of Apollo seemed just as confused though. Nico could feel his eyes bearing into him as the sunny children walked up. He sat by himself at his cabin’s table, his back to theirs. He couldn’t see them, but as it turned out he didn’t need to.

“Good morning, Nico,” Will’s tone was slightly tinged with worry as he walked up to him, splitting from his siblings so he could settle comfortably on the bench beside the son of Hades, “You’re here early.” 

By ‘early’ he meant he was surprised Nico left his cabin without prompting. It’d been hard, don’t get it wrong. His eyes burned after days in the dark, under a lamplight, reading words until his vision blurred. His whole body ached from stiffness due to sitting for long hours, hunched over and sleeping in weird positions.

He probably looked a bit like a mess too. Showers weren’t exactly the most important thing on his mind recently. His hair was tangled up into a ponytail with bristly, dead ends scratching at his nape. Nico could practically feel the bags under his eyes this time, and his clothes were just throw-ons. Black and black. Tee shirt and jeans. His usual, just without shoes. 

“Breakfast,” Nico yawned without permission after that statement, eyes watering as he covered his mouth. He stared blankly down at the amazing looking pancakes afterwards. It had to be blasphemy to not feel hungry with that heavenly aroma drifting off them. Yet, all the cupcakes he’d eaten the night before while researching made him want to throw up at the smell of food. 

He pushed the plate away sadly, no more than two bites taken from it. Instantly he felt Will tense up, ready to battle him into eating before he explained, “Too many snacks.”

The healer’s focus was quickly shifted at that. Even without it directed at him, Nico could feel the anger and disappointment in his gaze as he searched out the snack culprits like he wasn’t one himself. A terrified squeak from the nearby Hephaestus table clearly signalled the main culprit had noticed the threat he was under. Seriously, who would’ve thought Leo could bake? And who would’ve thought pomegranates and cherries could be made into delicious cupcakes?

“Are you coming to training today?” Will turned back to him as he changed the subject. The still mostly full plate was pulled away, set at the edge of the table to be picked up later. 

Nico’s tiny wince was enough of an answer to the question. He could feel the concerned atmosphere growing in response. His shoulders shrugged halfheartedly, looking anywhere but the worried son of Apollo. 

‘Anywhere’ turned out to be the beach. The beach and the sea. He knew that Will was still talking. There was a distant tone in his ears, the humm of a voice though words eluded him. 

The air was salty. Sea breeze blowing up past him and making loose strands of his hair wave. Nico could hear the waves crashing against the shore, more violent now than they had been the other night. He thought back to that shell; the sea under storm. 

Beyond the camp boundary he could see dark clouds on the horizon. They flashed with light, erupted with noise he couldn’t hear while so far away. In his mind’s eye he could see massive white crested waves rising far above him. Then they struck down, rolling the world around him as light faded.

“Nico?” 

A hand rested loosely on his shoulder, shaking his upper body lightly. Nico blinked and the vision was lost. He was once again in the pavilion with a worried Will at his side. His movement was sluggish as he turned to the blonde, shaking his head slightly as he pushed the sound of waves from his mind. 

“Are you okay?” Will looked him up and down slowly, not letting go as he made his observations, “You blanked on me for a second.”

“I think I want to go swimming today,” Nico decided suddenly, surprising even himself. Voicing it only made him realize how much he wanted it though. He wanted to feel the flow of the water, the rush of pressure as he dove down. It had been too long since he went swimming. When you didn’t count getting tossed into water by a monster during battle, that is. 

“I’m not sure if you should,” Will cut him down softly, his hand finally releasing Nico’s shoulder while he frowned at him, “You’re clearly exhausted. It wouldn’t be safe to swim when you could pass out at any moment.” 

“I’m not going to pass out,” he muttered, sighing. Nico looked back to the sea for a second, looking away before he could get lost in that trance again. As much as he denied it, he knew Will was right. His whole body felt heavy, his mind more so. Even if he had claimed he wouldn’t push himself, he had in the end. 

“Will?” His eyes felt heavier as he closed them tiredly, drifting from his thoughts. 

“Yes?” The healer sounded really worried now. It made him feel bad for what he was about to do. 

“I’m going to pass out.” A small concerned noise was the last thing that reached his ears as he slumped. Everything else faded from awareness, and all he knew was the sweet scent of warmth and herbs.


	5. Infirmary Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Will didn’t seem to know how to treat him. How much was too far; how much Nico could take.

******  
Nico woke up in the infirmary. The air smelled like medicinal supplies, and the cot was soft below him. His head felt heavy as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Like an anchor trying to pull back down to the pillows. 

He shook his head in an attempt to clear the cotton from his mind. Everything was slightly fuzzy, but he did remember why he was there. He remembered going to breakfast, waves, and then warmth as arms caught him. 

And he wasn’t alone either. 

Standing with his back to him was Will. He was hunched over his desk, scratching something down on a notepad with his pen in that messy handwriting of his. Nico watched him pause to think about something before adding more. 

The son of Apollo was always focused when he worked. He really looked like an actual doctor, standing there taking notes dutifully. At one point Will ran a hand through his blonde hair, muttering under his breath something Nico couldn’t hear. 

Then he was setting aside the pen to flip through a notebook at his side. Nico tilted his head, leaning to the side so he could catch a glimpse of the page Will was looking over so closely. 

Scribbled at the top of the lined page in dark ink with lines scratched under it was: Effects of Shadowtravel? 

Nico swallowed when he saw the title, wincing guiltily. As the healer pulled the note from its pad and stuck it onto one of the notebook pages, he slid his legs over the side of the bed. His bare feet met the warm infirmary floor and made him shudder. He always found himself jealous over the fact the children of Apollo got extra heating thanks to how easily they got cold. It always made the infirmary so cozy, and made him feel so sleepy.

A yawn tugged at him as he got to his feet. He glanced over at the clock hung on the wall, frowning when he found both the hands already past twelve. Other than the two of them the infirmary was completely empty. That only happened at certain times; like during lunch. 

Which was happening right then. 

He walked up to Will, frowning slightly as he considered this. Nico stopped just behind him, letting himself watch the healer work for another second before speaking up. 

“You’re not missing lunch, are you?”

Will jumped at the sound of his voice, twisting and reeling back when he found the son of Hades directly behind him. His back hit the edge of the desk hard, making the whole thing rattle. One of his cups of pens tipped alongside one of his paper piles, and sent a cascade of items tumbling over. 

Nico flinched at the sudden movement, pulling back himself in surprise. The sound of things falling and Will’s reaction had him slipping. His heart sped up, making it take a lot of control to not summon his sword and arm himself.

“Nico,” Will gasped, clutching his chest as his eyes fluttered, “what did I tell you about announcing your presence?!”

“Sorry,” he shrunk a bit, shuffling his feet as the son of Apollo moved to fix the disarray on his desk. He listened to the healer’s breathing slow and even out while he worked. As Will calmed down, he was able to reign in his panic as well. His jumpy fight or flight instincts settled down until he could relax and just watch him work. 

“Kaylee’s bringing me something from lunch when she gets back,” the blonde answered the earlier question finally as he collected the fallen pens, “I couldn’t leave with a patient in our care.” 

Nico blinked at that, looking around at all the empty cots slowly. There wasn’t anyone else there, just as he’d first thought. He turned back to Will in confusion, “What patient?”

“What do you mean what-” Then he jolted in surprise for a second time. The papers he’d been collecting fluttered from his grasp as he spun back around to stare at Nico in shock. His eyes looked frantically between the cot he’d been sleeping in, and the standing demigod. His mouth opened and shut speechlessly, pointing at him for a second before finally finding the words.

“Nico! You’re awake!” 

The loudness made Nico wince, reaching up to rub at his ears as he stared right back at him. “No,” he grumbled, unimpressed, “I’m sleepwalking right now. Great observational skills, Solace. Sometimes I think even Festus could manage to sneak up on you. Honestly.”

“I just-” Will shook his head, his tanned face coloring slightly as he cleared his throat, “You surprised me.”

“Is that what that was? I couldn’t tell,” Nico sighed, relaxing slightly as his voice’s loudness returned to an acceptable level. His eyes raked over the highlighted skin, lingering on the freckles subconsciously while Will scrambled to reclaim his dignity. 

“How are you?” Will pushed, stumbling over his words as his hands weaved together awkwardly.

Nico paused at the question, looking away unsurely. He frowned, trying to conjure up an answer that refused to come to him. What was he supposed to say? “I’m more rested now,” he landed on, confessing this slowly, “Thanks for...you know.”

His hands gestured to show what he meant, but it sort of just wound up being a wave since there wasn’t one thing for him to thank the son of Apollo for. He had a couple things he wanted to show his gratitude for. The words refused to voice themselves though. 

Will watched him closely. Deep blue eyes fixed on him that made his skin burn wherever the irises shifted to. He fidgeted, swallowing as he looked away and broke contact first. 

“Hey, Nico. I need you to be honest with me,” he blinked at that, glancing at the blonde nervously as he went on, “Have you been using your powers even though I told you not to?”

The son of Hades froze, wide eyed as he finally looked fully at the serious healer. For a second his mouth hung open in surprise, and then he was shaking his head. Frantically, the tie in his hair flying off as he whipped his head back and forth.

All his dark hair slid into place as he finally stopped moving and shut his mouth. The bristly ends tickled his neck in a sensation that always made him want to shudder, but his mind was completely captured by the frowning sunflower in front of him. 

“Really?” Nico flinched at the doubt in Will’s voice, taking a half step back. Instantly the blonde’s face was flooded with guilt, hands outstretched towards him apologetically. “I mean-sorry. It’s just that, I thought you might’ve passed out because of that. If you say you didn’t do it then I believe you. Or, not say, but...”

He faltered off into silence, raising a hand to rub at his neck. Nico sighed at the awkward atmosphere that had made its scheduled appearance. It always seemed to happen sooner or later when they were together, though it had happened less so recently. 

Sometimes Will didn’t seem to know how to treat him. How much was too far; how much Nico could take. 

He swallowed again, but found his throat sticking with the action. Nico brought his hand up absently to rub at his windpipe, trying to clear up the dryness as he looked around them. 

“What is it?”

“Uh,” he coughed slightly when he didn’t find what he was looking for, eyes flicking to Will apologetically, “do you...water?” 

The bright healer lit up at the request, very obviously glad to have something to do. He scurried off towards the infirmary kitchenette with a call back for Nico to ‘not go anywhere’. 

He would’ve shot something right back at him, but his throat was suddenly too dry for words. His legs trembled slightly under the weight of his own body, and Nico was forced to stumble back to the cot he’d risen from before he collapsed. 

The softness was warm beneath him. He dropped back into it, throat convulsing as he tried to swallow down the dryness. A low rumble reached his ears, but when he opened his eyes he saw nothing that could be making the sound. His eyes fluttered shut again as he lifted an arm to block out the light behind his lids.

That rumble grew. It became louder and more discernible. Until it became obvious what he was hearing. The rumble became a roar, and then crashing. He heard the sea and felt the breeze coming off the waves. 

It was just like back at the pavilion. Though this time he wasn’t actually looking at the sea. His throat started to get drier, prompting him to reach up to massage it as breathing became a struggle. 

His head tipped back into the sheets as he tried to get air to his lungs. His chest was rising quickly, but falling slower. The crashing became louder and louder, until he was being pulled up.

A tight hand grasped at his arm, yanking him into a sitting position and leaving him dizzy. Another wound around his back, pulling him into the warmth of a body. Then his arm was being released. The hand that had been holding it wound down to grasp his own, before leading it. 

Nico felt his fingers close around a cool glass. He reacted quickly, raising it to his lips and swallowing down the life giving liquid inside. It bathed his throat, releasing his breath and bringing back his vitality. 

When the water stopped coming, the glass slipped from his grasp. He heard a shattering sound as the arms around him wrapped even tighter. 

His mind cleared significantly as the water moved through his body, and he blinked when he found himself looking up at Will in a daze. His body was slumped into the blonde’s chest, his cheek pressing into his shirt. 

“Nico, are you with me?” He nodded slowly, feeling the grip on him loosen slightly, “What happened?”

Nico frowned. He shifted his head, glancing down at the shattered glass around their feet. Then he looked back up into those worried and scared eyes, licking his lips to form an answer. 

“I don’t know.”


	6. Shower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn’t that he was afraid of it. He just...didn’t want it to end.

******  
Nico really didn’t have an answer for what had happened. Will seemed to be hopeful it was simple dehydration since the son of Hades didn’t often drink water, but he had a much different idea. One that changed some of the things he thought he’d figured out. 

With three weeks left until his meeting with Poseidon though, he had no way of finding out if he was right. 

He wasn’t even sure what he was going to do with those three weeks. He’d already finished going through the Italian journals fully. The only thing left would be to translate the others.

But then there was the problem that he didn’t want anyone else to know. A lot of the entries from what he’d read seemed to radiate the fear of the writers. Fear of being found out. 

There were many parts that eluded to it being dangerous for people outside of other sirens to know. Lots of warnings to keep the secret at any cost. It was the only reason he hadn’t gone to anyone yet. 

He probably could’ve gotten Annabeth and the Athena cabin to translate otherwise. He could’ve talked to Percy about his father, or Will about his guess on why he was suddenly suffocating on air. 

But now he was starting to fear it too. 

So he didn’t say anything. He let Will convince himself it was dehydration as they cleaned up the shattered glass. Nico also let himself be talked into more sleep while the blonde worked. His body still needed rest, and it was perfectly content to shut down when he sunk into the cot for a second time. 

The dreams he had were filled with calmer seas. The waves still rolled, but not as violently. Though the sky was cloudy, there were no thunderheads either. Nico was sitting peacefully on the beach. He was barefoot in the sand, letting his toes curl into it and his minds drift. 

And then he was waking up in the infirmary with Austin nearby, telling him he was free to leave when all he wanted was to dream more. To go back to that beach and watch the sea move and shift even longer. Forever.  
******  
Water.

Nico tilted his head back, letting the soothing liquid wash down over his body. Clinging and rolling over skin, falling back to the shower’s floor in a cascade of noise. 

He had no idea how long it had been since he stepped under the showerhead. His mind had been singularity focused on this since he stumbled out of the infirmary. The son of Hades needed it. 

It quenched something inside of him. A feeling that wiggled under his skin and screamed for more. To stay there longer. To never leave. 

Even better, go down to the water. 

Go to the ocean, before it was too late. Before he lost it all. 

Lost what? His thoughts didn’t feel entirely his own anymore. It cemented some of the things he’d been considering. Now he had a very good idea of what Poseidon had been trying to clue him in on. 

And he also was starting to understand why giving into the water was a bad idea. 

That’s why he forced himself out of the shower. An action that was far harder to do than it should’ve been. Like he was tearing himself in half to get away. Like his skin burned without the liquid, and his lungs weren’t working properly. 

The panic only lasted a moment though. As soon as he was clear of the tub and had a towel in hand, he felt normal. Clean, calm. 

His eyes stared back at the shower, shuddering when he thought about having to turn off the head. Reaching back in to turn the handle and stop the water sounded like a horrible idea. 

So he didn’t.

He let it keep falling as he went about getting ready. Drying himself off and pulling on clean clothes. Will would come to get him for dinner soon enough. He’d ask the healer to do it for him when he did. 

It wasn’t that he was afraid of it. He just...didn’t want it to end. 

Nico’s bed was still the same as he’d left it. As far as he could tell, no one had come into his room after he passed out. That was good. It would be impossible to explain, and now he had to hide it. 

The work wasn’t quick, exactly. There was a lot to do. More so added by him than what was already there. 

All of the ancient journals were very carefully put away on the bookshelf in his room, neatly stacked in place of languages. It felt like if he moved too fast with them in hand, they would completely fall to pieces. 

It was the other things that took longer. All his notes and papers that scattered the floor and bed. Filled with diagrams and theories, every little detail he’d gleaned about sirens.

For those, he took the time to round them up properly. Trying to make some sense out of his messy writing and figure out what went with what. 

All too soon, there was a knock at the cabin door. 

He dropped the last of the papers into his desk’s drawers, planning to sort them later as he carefully checked for anything else he might have missed.

“Nico?” Will’s voice called through the door, his knuckles rapping against wood a second time, “I’m giving you one warning. If you don’t answer me, I will have grounds to break in and make sure you haven’t passed out again.” 

“I’m fine,” he called quickly, his mind getting stuck on the image of the wily healer trying to bust the door down, “Just give me-”

Nico growled as his leg knocked into the edge of the bed, glaring down at it in frustration. Until his eyes found a forgotten journal on the floor side, and he became grateful. 

“Nico?” The son of Apollo called through again, starting to sound a bit worried as he rushed to hide away that journal as well, “Are you okay?” 

“I’m-” he practically leapt across the room, taking a deep breath as he tossed the door open and startled the blonde into taking a step back, “-fine!” 

Then he sighed, reaching up to run a hand through his wet hair and push it from his face. Will was wide eyed for a moment, looking him up and down very carefully. Nico didn’t move under his gaze. He stayed, he waited. 

And then he turned and walked back into his room when the over worried doctor gave him a small nod.

“Sorry, were you in the shower?” 

“I was,” the ebony haired boy lied, slightly. He nodded toward the bathroom, busying himself with finding shoes as he tried to keep his tone casual, “Can you shut it off for me? I forgot.” 

“Sure,” Will didn’t even question it, disappearing to do just that. Only a few moments later, the sound of falling water disappeared. White noise that Nico had been listening to this whole time. Now it was gone, and he visibly winced at the new silence. 

“Ready for dinner?” His personal escort asked, without a clue of his struggles. Not that the son of Hades was giving any. 

“Yeah,” he smiled, following the healer towards the door as he played with his still wet hair, “I’m hungry.”

Three weeks. He wouldn’t make it.


End file.
